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A SCALLOP SHELL OF QUIET 




IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 



A SCALLOP SHELL 
OF QUIET 

BY 

CAROLINE HAZARD 




BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 

MDCCCCVIII 






COPYRIGHT 1907 BY CAROLINE HAZARD 

Published February IQ08 



LIBRARY of CONSi^ESSl 
Two Copies Receivec 

DEC 26 i90f 

Coi/yrignt tntry 

CLASS A XXc. Nu. 

COPY B. _j 



CONTENTS 

PRELUDE 
LENTEN SONNETS 

I. ASH-WEDNESDAY 

II. THE THRONE 

III. PRAYER 

IV. PETITION 
V. JOY 

VI. THE SEA OF GALILEE 

VII. SACRIFICE 

VIII. TUMULT 

IX. PEACE 

X. THANKSGIVING 

XI. TRIBUTE 

XII. SEED-TIME 

XIII. RENUNCIATION 

XIV. SINCERITY 

XV. THE DAYSPRING 

XVI. " IF GOD SO CLOTHE THE GRASS 

XVII. THE NAME 

XVIII. TRUTH 



CONTENTS 

XIX. " LIFT THINE EYES " 

XX. THE MEASURE 

XXI. COMPLETION 

XXII. NAZARETH 

XXIII. ANNUNCIATION 

XXIV. CAPERNAUM 
XXV. THE SUN 

XXVI. THE VOICE 

XXVII. THE JORDAN 

XXVIII. THE WILDERNESS 

XXIX. JERICHO 

XXX. REVELATION 

XXXI. LIGHT 

XXXII. DARKNESS 

XXXIII. THE CUP 

XXXIV. THE ENTRY 

XXXV. THE GARDEN 

XXXVI. GETHSEMANE 

XXXVII. GOLGOTHA 

XXXVIII. THE NINTH HOUR 

XXXIX. MARTHA 

XL. VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING 

INTERLUDE 

THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 
VIA VITAE 

NEW year's HYMN 



CONTENTS 

A SPRINGTIME HYMN 

RENEWAL 

SILENCE 

VISION 

ASSURANCE 

TIME 

THY NEIGHBOR 

TERROR 

ROME 

DUALITY 

" OUT OF EGYPT HAVE I CALLED MY SON 

REFUGE 

A CYCLE OF GRIEF 

I. COLD 

II. SUBMISSION 

III. WELCOME 

IV. SELF-FORGETFULNESS 
V. RECURRENCE 

VI. LOVE AND SORROW 
VII. SIGHT 
VIII. LIFE 



Give me my scallop shell of quiet. 
My staff of faith to walk upon ; 
My scrip of joy, immortal diet ; 
My bottle of salvation ; 
My gown of glory, hope^s true gage. 
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage. 

Sir Walter Ralegh 



PRELUDE 

Ah, if I once could say just what I would, 

All understood ! 
Could catch the thought that still eludes my might. 

Hides out of sight ; 

Could speak by forms and models unconfined, 

Pour my mind 
Into the rapture of a wondrous speech 

Angels teach. 

Would it be frenzy, folly, merest madness. 

Or sadness ? 
Would it be radiant beauty, glory, grace, 

Love's own face ? 

Ah, to find and seize my inmost meaning, 

No more gleaning 
Scanty grain ; to follow where my soul hath trod. 

To seek God ! 



LENTEN SONNETS 



I 

ASH WEDNESDAY 

How hard must be their lot, who do not dare 
To search their inmost heart with all their mind, 
Not knowing but if haply they may find 

Some shape to bar the way, with horrid stare 

To front them in its hidden recess there ; 
Who on the surface live, as if designed 
For only sunny days, and gayly wind 

Small pleasures round them for their only care. 

But fathom thou thy soul's remotest cell. 

And face each monster with the Truth for guide. 
And chase the spectres in thy heart that dwell ; 

Nor to the faintest phantom give thou grace 
Until thou reach that utmost secret place 
Where, breathing love, thy Lord hangs crucified. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
II 

THE THRONE 

And having found Him, what shall aught avail 
To move thy steadfast mind ? There is no ill ; 
Whate'er betides, it is His loving will, — 

His will, and shall His courage ever fail ? 

And if the highest heaven thou wilt scale, 
Lo, He is there; or look within, and still 
His is the glory that thy soul doth fill, 

God and thyself complete thy life's whole tale. 

Then what great peace and what a noble shame 
Should fill thy soul, for lo, it is thine own ! 
The Giver gave the gift, resigned all claim ; 

It is for thee to cleanse thy heart full well. 

This lowly place where He vouchsafes to dwell. 
To show His wondrous love, to build His throne. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
III 

PRAYER 

My gracious Lord, I know not what to ask ; 
I would not come beseeching some one thing 
Whose very granting might an anguish bring 

I know not of; I would not dare to task 

Omnipotence my small desires to mask 
In glory, nor importunately cling 
And strive to stay Thine angel's onward wing, 

Nor would I idly in Thy presence bask. 

But simply as Thy child I come and kneel, 
To spread my soul in Thine effulgent light. 
And tax my every sense to hear, to feel, 

To see, to know, to open every door. 

To be enlarged, to catch of Thine outpour 
Of grace, of joy, of Thy transcendent might. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

IV 

PETITION 

Lord, I do ask, and yet I know not how; 
Lord, I do long, and know not yet for what; 
It cannot be, my Lord, I have forgot 

Some whisper of Thine own, once heard, and now 

Lost in obscurity ? I come and bow 

My head and search in vain for what is not, — 
The power to rise to Thee, the holy spot 

Where Thou wilt stand revealed, and I may know. 

Lord, change my asking, sublimate desire. 

Breathe Thou again that blessed word of Thine, 
Show me the dream, the ecstasy, the fire. 

When earth is lost, and gates of heaven unroll 
In perfect union of the soul with Soul, 
In joy of prayer that melts in the divine. 



* 
A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 



V 

JOY 

We beg forgiveness in our lowly prayers. 

We pray for shelter from all threatened harm, 
For refuge from our haunting fears' alarm, 

For comfort in a thousand daily cares. 

And we forget that unto him who dares 
To take God's grace, the penitential psalm 
Must mingle with rejoicing, for with calm 

And holy joy upon his way he fares. 

Break forth in singing, O my gladsome soul ! 
His precious mercies gratefully recount; 
Told o'er and o'er thou canst not tell the whole. 

The world is full of love from sea to sea, 

That penetrates and shines with might on thee 
As did His face upon the holy mount. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

VI 

THE SEA OF GALILEE 

Sweet waters, whose serene and limpid wave 
Upheld the pulpit from which words were said 
To outlast time; on whose banks feasts were 
spread 

Which to the soul an unknown vigor gave — 

Ye did obey, when storms began to rave, 

The " Peace, be still," and each foam-crested head 
Became like solid oak beneath that tread 

Which bore embodied love, and power to save. 

The mountains mirror their fair heights in thee; 
Upon their slopes His blessed footsteps trod 
Whom multitudes went to the wilds to see. 

And to be fed with bread come down from heaven. 
From thee went out the Spirit's mighty leaven, 
For here was manifest the Son of God. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QJJ I E T 

VII 
SACRIFICE 

I SAID, a sacrifice I will prepare 

Unto my God, some perfect spotless thing, 

A firstling of my flock for offering, 
A tender turtle-dove, all white and fair. 
Alas, how fruitless is my anxious care ; 

My flock has no unblemished lamb to bring. 

My long-sought gentle dove with broken wing 
In vain endeavor beats the troubled air. 
Since naught I do — as is most evident — 

Is perfect, since my fairest things of price 

All fail in execution or intent ; 
Let me make ofl^ering of the humbled will. 

Which gives up doing, and would just be still. 

Itself the sacrifice of sacrifice. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
VIII 

TUMULT 

Lord, I would bring the whole of life to Thee, — 
Not only its external outward show. 
But all its springs, its ceaseless ebb and flow 

Of seething thought, the rising of the sea 

Of hopes and fears ; the solemn choices free 
Begetting action ; secret seeds which sow 
The fertile fields from which my harvests grow : 

These would I bring in all humility. 

And far beyond these I would strive to bring 
The horde of troubled and unquiet ghosts 
Of bygone days, which flit on bat-like wing. 

Of murdered love, and oft-wept griefs which surge, 
A cruel phantom crowd, with scorpion scourge 
Thine hand alone can stay, O Lord of Hosts. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF C^U I E T 

IX 

PEACE 

Which passeth understanding, St. Paul said, — 
The peace of God, that comes the heart to fill, 
The white dove brooding o'er subsiding ill. 

Which rests serenely pure upon the dead j 

The crown of olive on the victor's head, 
The consummation of the struggling will, 
The hush that followed on the "Peace, be still," 

When silence on the raging waters spread. 

Yet what the mind alone can never grasp 
The spirit feels ; it stills all vague alarms 
When mortal weakness reaches up to clasp 

Divine serenity, secure repose. 

Majestic calm, the healing of all woes. 
Enfolded in the Everlasting Arms. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

X 

THANKSGIVING 

Lord, Thou dost know; I cannot know the ways 

In which Thy love my flickering life doth lead; 

I cannot know the profit and the need 
Of what would seem disaster and delays. 
But I would have the current of my days 

Run clear and strong, from springs which Thou 
dost feed, 

A life flood which Thy mercy deigns to heed. 
And with heart-beats " whose pulse shall be Thy 

praise." 
For grief and joy Thy love doth sublimate 

To blend into a harmony divine ; 

And heavy sorrow joy doth recreate 
In nobler fashion, adding depths unknown 

And vibrant heights which lead up to Thy throne, 

Whence streaming forth the lights celestial shine. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XI 
TRIBUTE 

In ancient times men brought their sovereign lord 
The hardly gathered tribute, year by year 
Extorted by oppression and by fear. 

The frightened serf in secret tried to hoard 

Some scanty sheaf to dress his frugal board ; 

But when the sum was paid, then he was clear 
Until the taxer should again appear; 

Then could he joy in all that he had stored. 

So wish I not to deal with Thee, my King, 

To give Thee all Thy due what soul may claim? 
Some stated tribute will I gladly bring. 

But better Thou must have Thy holy share 
In all, my work or study, rest or care, 
Till all of life is tribute to Thy name. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QUIET 

XII 

SEED-TIME 

A LIVING green has touched the swelling hills, 
And tiny birds chirp in the leafless trees ; 
Up from the ocean comes a vernal breeze 

That brings the showers to feed the mountain rills. 

In dark red soil the steady ploughman drills 
The long deep furrows, sinking to his knees 
In spongy earth ; it is no time of ease, — 

With signs of birth and promise Nature thrills. 

Drive Thou Thy plough, O Lord, deep in my 
heart, 
Hardened beneath a load of petty cares; 
Break up its guilty crust, and freely start 

The showers of Thy grace ; then sow some seed 
Whose ripened harvest Thou wilt deign to heed. 
And husband it with gracious heavenly airs. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
XIII 

RENUNCIATION 

Thy ways have made me trust myself, dear Lord, 

And all I am, completely in Thy hands ; 

I can but be as Thy great will commands ; 
In comfort, or in sickness, health restored 
Of mind and body, rich or scanty board, 

Living or dying, still Thy tender bands 

Bind me to Thee, in these or unknown lands. 
For I am Thine, what more can life afford ? 
Then let me trust my dear ones unto Thee. 

If dear to me, to Thee how much more dear ? 

If for their good seek I, who cannot see, 
How much more Thou, with love and power 
untold ; 

Myself I give Thee, — small the gift; — grown 
bold, 

I give Thee those I love, without a fear. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^UIET 
XIV 

SINCERITY 

O THAT I could make true each word I say ! 
That every action, every lightest thought, 
That all I do in Thy dear love be wrought ; 

That not a moment of a single day 

From consciousness of Thee I turn away, 
Thy presence seeking as the sun is sought, 
For light, for warmth, for growth ; then truly 
naught 

Would grieve, but loss of that inspiring ray. 

So should my life be service and true song, 
In blended harmony the two should mate. 
No work, no effort, could be counted long; 

For each is done, or lived, or borne for Thee : 
And if Thou shouldst accept that work from me. 
Then naug-ht could be too little, or too great. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XV 

THE DAYSPRING 

The eastern sky is flushed with gleams of gold 
And gorgeous tints of crimson and of red ; 
The sea reflects the light from overhead, 

And like a sheet of silver lies unrolled. 

The day draws near on noiseless wings. Behold 
The mighty change, the rising from the dead 
Of night and dreams. Now is the darkness fled, 

And day with warmth and light dispels the cold. 

The morning miracle ! So when He came 
Who is the light to lighten all the earth. 
The Dayspring from on High was called His 
name, 

The source of love, the fount of life and light. 
Whose tender mercy came to chase our night. 
To give the day within our hearts its birth. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QJU I E T 

XVI 
"IF GOD SO CLOTHE THE GRASS" 

He must have known this lily of the field 
In all the glory of its crimson dress ; 
This purple iris in its loveliness, 

This cyclamen, — its leaves a silver shield, — 

This mignonette, this orchid, all appealed 
In beauty to Him, each was an express 
Image of joy, which mutely did confess 

His care. Who in the grass His love revealed. 

And when upon the hills of Galilee 

He spent the watches of the night in prayer. 
When solemn stars in silence looked to see 

The conflict of the wide world in one soul, 

True man, true God, Who should redeem the 

whole. 
With dawn adoring flowers were also there. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XVII 
THE NAME 

I WOULD not know Thee as the Good Supreme, 

Or as an overruling Providence, 

Or name Thee by a name which shows my sense 
Of Thine infinitude, and which must seem 
To mark my distance. In the turbid stream 

Of sharp affliction such ideas immense 

Elude my grasp, and give a vain pretense 
Of help and succor, idle as a dream. 
But breathe Thy Name upon my waiting soul. 

And come Thyself to me, transcendent Guest; 

Then naught I fear, whatever storms may roll. 
Then shall I be the sparrow in Thine hand 

To rise or fall alike at Thy command ; 

Then shall I find in Thee my perfect rest. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
XVIII 

TRUTH 

The tiny hands with all their baby might 
Stretch joyously to grasp the rolling ball; 
Too large for their small hold they let it fall 

And roll it now to left, and now to right, 

Still reaching after, with renewed delight. 
At each rebound from the enclosing wall. 
With growing courage nothing can appall. 

Still eager for the thing so full in sight. 

So we, with infant hands that cannot hold 
The rounded truth, reach out and gladly say 
We have it surely, here is truth's pure gold ; 

When we just touch the outer rim, and so 
But send it onward, farther from us ; lo ! 
Full orbed it rolls upon its heavenly way. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XIX 
"LIFT THINE EYES" 

Most noble hills and mountains darkly blue 
Stretch round and shelter me with lovino- care. 
Upon their slopes they stately live-oaks bear 

And orchards flushed with tender rosy hue, 

Where streams cut rugged canons sharply through ; 
Yet I, who all their bounties gladly share 
Of shelter, shade, and fruit, — the love I bear 

Is for their beauty, not for what they do. 

So from the hills mine eyes I upward lift. 
Not for Thy gifts. Thy care, let me adore, 
Not even for Thy love, divinest gift, 

But for Thyself, the Perfect Holy One, 
E'en to my sight a dazzling radiant sun 
Whom growing vision shall love more and more. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XX 

THE MEASURE 

Thou who hast given so much, my dearest Lord, 
Send me some sure angelic rod to mete 
The blessings with which life is so replete, 

The countless mercies which Thou hast outpoured. 

The joys with which my memory is stored, 
The beauty I can see, the cadence sweet 
The inner ear can hear, the good complete 

Of sense and soul which this world doth afford. 

Yet like a child who prates of being tall, 
I count my blessings o'er ; I say I see. 
Who just perceive that beauty hides in thrall ; 

I say I love; dear Lord, forgive the boast; 

Love's flood-gates open wide, and quench my 

ghost 
Of nothingness in Thine Infinity. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXI 

COMPLETION 

If I would bring a gift to some dear friend, 
And find it broken, nor by any pain 
Could set it forth, and make it whole again, 

How great my shame to give it him to mend ! 

Yet so do I to Thee ; for I expend 

My power and effort, but 'tis all in vain ; 
It is Thy touch must free the gift from stain. 

It is Thyself must all the glory lend. 

Deign then my humble offering to complete. 
And make it all Thine own, and gently lift 
Me to the radiance of Thy Mercy-seat. 

My life, and all the things which I call mine, 
I fain would bring to Thee, to make them Thine ; 
Complete the offering. Giver of the gift. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXII 
NAZARETH 

In Nazareth, upon its southern slope 
Of springtime hillside, lying in the sun 
With fresh grass from the winter hardly won 

And blossoms that begin with joy to ope — 

The lily of the field, in heliotrope 

And splendid crimson, such as Solomon 
In glory had not — the Angelic One 

Brought all to life, with those great words of hope. 

And from the crest of that fair mountain town 
Far to the north, the height the Prophet sings, 
The dome of dazzling snow, the country's 
crown. 

The splendid majesty of Hermon lies, 
The joy of His forefather David's eyes 
White as the herald angel's radiant wings. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXIII 

ANNUNCIATION 

In vernal days the winged angel came 
With lowly salutation to the maid, 
And found her calm and strong and unafraid, 

Content to know the thing she could not name, 

Lighting within her breast that holy flame 

Which lights the world, for which the world 

had prayed. 
Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she said. 

And had no thought of honor, or of fame. 

So to each one the secret messenger 

Comes silently, unsought, to bring God's word, 
A word creative as he brought to her. 

And each conceives a truth scarce understood ; 
Thrice blest that soul which in the Virgin's mood 
Can say. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
XXIV 

CAPERNAUM 

I STOOD among the heaps of broken stones 
Once capital and pillar, on the floor 
Of the centurion's synagogue; the door 

Through which the Master and His chosen ones 

Must oft have passed is here ; and here the groans 
Of sick folk sounded, as diseased and sore 
Men brought them to the street to lay before 

That blessed Presence, who could still all moans. 

This was His home, the blue lake's diadem. 

Here was the ruler's daughter raised, here came 
The woman who but touched His garment's hem. 

Now desolation reigns ; the sun beats down 
Upon the remnants of that ancient town 
Which lives but in the glory of His name. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXV 

THE SUN 

A SPLENDOR falls upon the softened ground, 
A tender radiance fills the lambent air; 
It bathes the trees, and flower faces fair. 

And brings a balm for every wintry wound; 

It lends enchantment to each springtime sound, — 
The sea basks in its smile, and mountains bare 
Are clothed in purple glory, for like prayer 

That follows praise the sun sheds peace profound. 

Thou greater Sun, from Whose surpassing lights 
This radiance and this glory overflow, 
I rise to Thee, and to supernal heights. 

To bathe my soul in Thine infinitude 

To lose myself in Thine all-perfect good, 

And in Thy light to breathe, and live, and grow. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXVI 

THE VOICE 

O Voice Divine which I have sometimes heard 

Cleaving through darkness and the troubled 
night. 

Ring in my ears, break with Thy trenchant 
might 
The slumber of my soul. Speak Thy great word! 
Not bread, not bread I ask, but to be stirred 

With that supremest sound which heard aright 

Means consciousness, security, and sight, — 
A present heaven, not a hope deferred. 
Too much to ask? Thou givest daily bread; 

Give then this word by which men daily live; 

Attune these ears, unseal these eyes of lead 
To hear, to see, in inmost depths to feel 

The word Thou dost to each true soul reveal; 

With Thine own voice to me the message give. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
XXVII 

THE JORDAN 

This is the mystic place, this turbid stream 
Swift flowing toward the Salt Sea of the Plain 
Between its banks of rushes and of cane, 

This is the river of the Prophet's dream. 

From Pisgah's lofty heights he saw its gleam 
When with his eager dying eyes astrain 
He looked upon the promised land in vain, 

And this flood marked its eastern verge extreme. 

And more, for here was the forerunner sent. 
The voice from out the wilderness. Prepare, 
Make straight a highway for our God, repent ! 

And here He came ; and baptism being ended. 
The heavens opened, and the dove descended. 
O humble stream, canst thou such glory bear? 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
XXVIII 

THE WILDERNESS 

Up from the Jordan straight His way He took 
To that lone wilderness, where rocks are hurled 
And strewn, and piled, — as if the ancient world 

In strong convulsion seethed, and writhed, and 
shook. 

Which heaved the valleys up, and sunk each brook. 
And flung the molten rock like ribbons curled 
In twistsof gray around the mountains whirled, — 

A grim land, of a fierce, forbidding look. 

The wild beasts haunt its barren stony heights. 
And wilder visions came to tempt him there; 
For forty days and forty weary nights 

Alone He faced His mortal self and sin. 
Chaos without, and chaos reigned within. 
Subdued and conquered by the might of prayer. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXIX 
JERICHO 

This plain made bright with streaks of crimson 
clay 
And sprinkled o'er with grains of golden sand — 
The vestage of a long-forgotten strand — 

Once saw the host of Israel as it lay 

With pikes and trumpets in war's fierce array. 
Now in the grass the solemn wild storks stand, 
A pensive silence broods upon the land, 

Unbroken by the shout which won that day. 

Zacchaeus lived here, who desired to see 

When Christ came down the Jordan wilderness, 
And one born blind cried out exceedingly. 

I too am blind, my Lord; oh, give me sight, 
Illume my mind, Thou very Light of Light, 
I cannot let Thee go, until Thou bless. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXX 
REVELATION 

" Acquaint thyself with Him, and be at peace," 
So cried Thy servant in his sore distress. 
So every strong endeavor doth confess, — 

The effort of the masters without cease, 

The germ of beauty seeking glad release. 
The transient clothed in an eternal dress. 
Dumb aspiration striving to express 

The passing time of earth, by heaven's increase. 

Lift up the veils, O Lord, that hide Thy face ! 
The eager eyes would see Thee as Thou art, 
Transcendent beauty, and benignant grace. 

My longing soul comes to Thee to be stilled, 
My finite in Thine Infinite fulfilled. 
Come, blessed Lord ! I offer Thee my heart ! 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QJJ I E T 

XXXI 
LIGHT 

Celestial Light, eternal, ever young, 

Which dawns with hope my waiting eyes to 

bless. 
Which clothes the mountains in a royal dress 

Spun from the arch that o'er the heavens hung 

When the new-watered world from chaos sprung. 
Still dost thou glow, thy wonder grows not less. 
Transmuting dross to gold ; thou dost express 

Pure joy, as when the sons of morning sung. 

The jewel holds thy secret ; not alone 

The regions vast of heaven's stupendous dome 
Dost thou inhabit; in small space is shown 

Thy majesty, Revealer, Healer, Friend, 

Effulgence from the Light of Lights, Thou End, 
Our being's strong endeavor, and our home. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXXII 

DARKNESS 

Lord, what a wonder hast Thou made our eyes, 
To see in light, to be in darkness blind. 
Yet seeking still, if haply they may find 

Some ray of hope, some star of far surmise 

Low hanging in the distant hidden skies. 

To point the path, to leave the dark behind. 
To show the good, to cheer the troubled mind, 

To open up new ways of high emprise. 

And yet the dark hides all. Not only fear 
And dread, not only deeds of sin and hate. 
But utmost love is shrouded in its sphere. 

And utmost help and succor in it veiled, 

Since those three awful hours when sunlight 

failed, 
Nor perfect Love the dark could dissipate. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QJJ I E T 
XXXIII 

THE CUP 

Lord, Thou dost hold the cup with Thine own hand, 
And in the cup a vintage rare I find ; 
The sweet and bitter subtly are combined 

And intermixed; — as in a silken band 

The thread of joy shows a pure scarlet strand. 
And purple shadows are about it twined, — 
So in this mystery Thou hast designed 

Thisdraughtof life, which Thou forme hast planned. 

Ah, Lord, I come with trembling lips, which shrink 
From all the sadness, all the bitter pain. 
This vinegar and gall that I must drink : 

And yet I know that my soul's secret love 
Is measured by the agony I prove. 
And so I bow my head to drink again. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXXIV 
THE ENTRY 

With branches of the palm, and leaves of spring, 
With hymns, and garments in the roadway spread, 
The people called down blessings on His head 

Who now the city gates was entering ; 

And should these cease triumphant songs to sing 
The very stones would lift their voice. He said 
As He rode lowly on the ass they led. 

Rode lowly, coming to his own, their King. 

So with the seasons' swift return ; each year 
The new leaves wave with joy, the forests raise 
Their high hosannas sounding sweet and clear. 

To thee He comes, and art thou dumb, oh heart ? 
In all the gladness canst thou take no part ? 
Fling wide thy gates, and welcome Him with 
praise. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXXV 
THE GARDEN 

If it is true, and surely it is true, 

That each soul to the measure of its love 
Must taste of darkness, for itself must prove 

Despair, and drink the cup of myrrh and rue, 

What must have been the sorrow that pierced through 
The heart of Jesus ? depths we know not of 
Were sounded by that Soul all souls above. 

For utmost love the utmost anguish knew. 

We humbly bow the head in holy awe 
And worship ; nor may fully comprehend 
The strange mysterious workings of the law 

Of Blessedness and Grief. Enough for us 

Christ fathomed it that night, and proved it thus, 
And trod the bitter pathway to the end. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXXVI 

GETHSEMANE 

This olive tree, so gnarled but living yet, 

Perchance was witness of that dreadful hour 

Which tempted flesh and soul with awful power. 
Here was the agony and bloody sweat ; 
This sheltered Him, when hosts of evil met. 

Beneath now blooms a small pure white cross- 
flower; 

Above it pours the sun a golden shower; 
It holds its secret, and can ne'er forget. 
A little garden, but a sacred place. 

Of all the world most holy blessed one. 

Thy Master's trial and His conquering grace 
Availed not only for Himself. His heart 

For thee was bruised to show thee who thou art. 

Father, He prayed, Thy will, not mine, be done. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXXVII 
GOLGOTHA 

Without the city, just beyond the gate, 
Set among hills, there is a domelike rise, 
A rock with a sheer precipice ; two eyes 

Made by two caverns coldly stare, a straight 

Line in the broken surface forms a great 
And gaping mouth; above a crevice lies 
A hole for nostrils, all a face implies. 

Place of the Skull, a hill most desolate. 

And here they brought Him, here He tasted all 
Of human agony ; the Roman host 
Did its dread work, the vinegar and gall 

Were offered, and those hands which moved to 
bless 
Were nailed ; here in His utter helplessness 
My God, He cried, and yielded up the ghost. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QJJ I E T 
XXXVIII 

THE NINTH HOUR 

After the shameful trial in the hall, 

The mocking and the scourging, and the pain 
Of Peter*s words ; to Herod, and again 

To Pilate's judgment-seat, the royal pall. 

The cross itself, the vinegar and gall ; 

The thieves close by, discipleship proved vain. 
The scoffing crowd. His mother's tears like rain. 

There came one moment, bitterest of all. 

Yet in that cry, when flesh and spirit failed. 
Last effort of the awful way He trod, 
Which shook the earth, nor left the temple 
veiled. 

In that exceeding great and bitter cry 

Was conquest. The centurion standing by 
Said, Truly this man was the Son of God. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XXXIX 

MARTHA 

Christ said to Martha by her brother's grave, 
I am the resurrection and the life — 
And with what troubled thoughts her mind was 
rife! 

The life, He said, and yet He freely gave 

His life, and saving others would not save 

Himself. The Resurrection ? Chuza's wife 
Had seen Him in the tomb — at end was strife. 

And o'er her anguish swept, a mighty wave. 

And yet that firm assurance kept her faith, 
And her reply, the fervent I believe, — 
Had not His voice raised Lazarus from death. 

Had not the grave released its four days' prey ? 
A foretaste of the resurrection day 
She had to bid her wait, and not to grieve. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

XL 
"VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING" 

O JOYFUL morn, whose faintest dawn of day 
Beheld what mortal eyes may never see, 
The rising from the dead, the victory 

Conceived but dimly in the prophet's lay. 

Behold the place, the shining angels say 
Unto the women coming tearfully 
With precious spices for their ministry 

And questioning who should roll the stone away. 

And there were but the garments in the tomb! 
The Life was living, and made manifest 
One life continuous. The fear, the gloom 

Were banished on that resurrection morn ; 
We but lie down in faith and are new born. 
For Life, unending Life, is death's great quest. 



INTERLUDE 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 

The days are short, O Time, I said ; 

The hours move fast, — give me a few, 
A brief space ere the days are fled 

Give me, for I have work to do. 

I have a good and noble work, 

My Father's work; to it shall bend 

My mind and heart ; I will not shirk 
If thou the precious hours wilt lend. 

But Time moved on, relentless still ; 

The work is all thy Father's, child, — 
The time is His, for good or ill, — 

Take what thou canst, nor be beguiled. 

If thou wouldst choose, and pick thy days. 
And say, lo, here to work I come, 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

Thou seekest but thyself to praise — 

Who needs thee in God's harvest home ? 

Take, then, the moments that I give 
At morn, or noon, or evening dim. 

Rejoicing that while thou dost live 
Thy Father lets thee work for Him. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

VIA VITAE 

I HAD a message from the Lord : 
He bade me rise and seek His face. 

He set me in a shady road 

That bloomed with beauty and with grace. 

I wandered on from flower to flower, — 
I breathed their perfume with delight ; 

How sweetly passed each sunny hour, 
How full of beauty every sight ! 

Till almost I forgot that I 

Was but a traveler on the road, — 

The vale so fair, so blue the sky. 
It seemed it must be my abode. 

Then colder grew the azure sky. 

The night came down, the flowers were gone, 
A voice spoke to me from on high, — 

Thou foolish child, press on, press on. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

NEW YEAR'S HYMN 

Oh, forward, forward turn thy gaze, 

Lift up thine eyes and see ; 
The New Year brings untrodden ways ; 

Thy God shall walk with thee. 

Cast not a pensive look behind 

To count thy sorrows o'er ; 
The New Year comes, and will unbind 

Of joys and griefs its store. 

Put off thy garments soiled and worn, 

Put off affliction's bands; 
And clothe thvsclf for New Year's morn 

In raiment from God's hands. 

The raiment of His Righteousness 
Thy God for thee prepares ; 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

This New Year claim thy blessedness 
And cast on Him thy cares. 

And forward, forward turn thy gaze, 

Lift up thine eyes and see ; 
The New Year brings untrodden ways ; 

Thy God shall walk with thee. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

A SPRINGTIME HYMN 

The radiant sun, with wondrous might 
Holds all creation with its light, 
Uprears each flower, each grassy blade, 
Each giant tree of forest shade. 
Suffuses them with light and heat, 
Gives colors rare, and odors sweet. 

Thou greater Sun of Righteousness 
Who deign'st my humble life to bless. 
Upholding me with matchless power. 
Unfolding me from hour to hour, 
Still draw me upward by Thy might. 
Still bathe me in Thy holy light. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

RENEWAL 

Worn and weary, far behind 
I left the town awhile, 

Once more o'er Nature's face to find 
A gracious Father's smile. 

The sadness that was then my share 
To me doth still belong ; 

I took it with me, as a prayer, 
I brought it back — a song. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

SILENCE 

How prone we are to pour complaints 
Into the listening Father's ear ! 

The weary soul that almost faints 
Still finds expression of each fear. 

But when joy comes to be our guest, 
And soul and heart and mind rejoice, 

The words deep hidden in the breast 
In silence find their truest voice. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
VISION 

Look without and find God, 
Look within, He is here. 

What matters the road ? 
I am of good cheer, — 
What is there to fear ? 

He above, I below ! 
And the infinite bond 

Shall hold me, I know, 
Both here and beyond, 
Both here and beyond. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

ASSURANCE 

Sad heart, no more complain, 
But learn and be content. 

Thou canst not be at strife 
Nor all thy blessings spent, 

Since Life is Love, and Love is Life. 

Rejoice, nor gaze in vain. 

The deep look in the heart 
Profoundest joy must move, — 

Grief is Love's counterpart, 
And Love is Life and Life is Love. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
TIME 

We measure life with our short span of years, 
And count the flying moments, hours, and days ; 
Turn back on past delights a mournful gaze, 

Perplex the future with a thousand fears ; 

Chide Time, who all the happy past endears. 
And bid him stay his course to suit our ways. 
Not knowing that his flight demands our praise, 

Or how " shall be " exceeds " what now appears." 

For Time leads onward to immortal day. 
To which the changes serve us as a guide. 
For Time brings changes, so the poets say. 

Then welcome change, — I am no longer loath 
To bid the years farewell, for Time is growth. 
Growth till I wake, and shall be satisfied. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

THY NEIGHBOR 

Give of thy best to all ; nor yet demand 
That thou receive a full return in kind. 
Face answereth to face, and mind to mind 

E'en when dull reason cannot understand, 

For we are brothers banded in one band. 
Pure truth in thee its counterpart will find 
Unlike itself, that both may be combined 

And, fused together, toward the Truth expand. 

Thy spark of life is part of the great whole — 
Fill then thy niche, shine with the light thou hast, 
The light which comes to all, from one great sun. 

So shalt thou strengthen best thy brother's soul. 
So shalt thine own soul bloom, till thou at last 
Rejoice where light, and love, and life are one. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

TERROR 

Scourged by some dread or some portentous fear 
Out from ourselves and our accustomed ease, 
How phantom-like the world becomes ! The 
trees, 

So living once, but a vain show appear. 

The solid earth and all that we hold dear. 

The hues and forms and all the sights that please. 
The ways we walk, become the hum of bees. 

Uncertain, drowsy, vague, where all was clear. 

Then in this moment, when in chaos falls 
The fabric of an ordered, sheltered life, 
The soul emerges, breaks its prison walls. 

Great God, what is this Thing which stands alone 
In all the universe, unseen, unknown. 
And dumbly gazes toward Thee through the 
strife ! 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

ROME 

Upon my fingers I can count the days 
Since I was in the country of His birth, 

With bare red hills, and olive trees whose girth 

Of twisted trunk cause wonder and amaze ; 

A simple land, still keeping ancient ways. 

But mosque and minaret abound; His worth 
Who came to bring good-will and peace on earth 

Is oft derided, and His reign delays. 

Here is the cross triumphant, church and tower 
Bedeck each hill ; from here the papal ban 
On unbelievers claims supernal power. 

But from this worship my thought gladly flies 
To those Judatan hills 'neath Syrian skies, 
Where worn and footsore walked the Son of 
Man. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

DUALITY 

How is it that the eager mind delights 
In paradoxes ? State an obvious fact, 
And straight the contrary seems true ; there 
lacked 

Its full completion. Not alone do nights 

Devour time, but days ; the earth has heights 
Of mountains and has plains ; no separate act 
Is wholly good, or bad, for it is packed 

With motives mixed, and good with evil fights. 

True man, true God, we say, and bow the head, — 
He trod those Galilean hills in youth ; 
As Love embodied He broke living bread. 

Does God then walk the earth, and blessings give ? 
And can man say, " Because I live, ye live " .'' 
This Holy One alone combines all truth. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^UIET 

"OUT OF EGYPT HAVE I CALLED 
MY SON" 

The mighty river flows as when Thine eyes, 
Thy baby eyes, in wonder saw it flow. 
The Pyramids stand there ; no one may know 

Their countless years, or ancient builders wise ; 

Thy childish gaze was caught in glad surprise 
To see the haughty camels come and go ; 
The ass thy mother rode still ambles slow, 

Unmoved by centuries the country lies. 

Up from the calm, the peace, the mystic land, 
Back to the scene of conflict and of strife. 
Thy parents journeyed at the Lord's command. 

A touch of glory rests upon the place 

Which gave its shelter to Thine infant grace, 
And nourished Thee to be the Life of Life. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

REFUGE 

Build thee, my soul, a safe and sure retreat 
From all vexations, and from babbling men 
Who vainly strive, and go, and come again 

In the fierce conflict of the busy street. 

Fly back, and to thyself once more repeat 

What thou with joy hast seen. Remember when 
That distant land unfolded to thy ken. 

And thou didst walk where trod His blessed feet. 

The mountains that He knew stand there secure. 
And swelling hills, which gave Him glad release 
From toilsome days ; the living fountains pure 

From which He drank still flow ; once more I see 
The limpid waters of Lake Galilee, 
And to my tempests His clear voice says. Peace. 



A CYCLE OF GRIEF 

M. W. B. T. 

** Siehe, da weinen die Gdtter, es weinen die Gottinnen alle 
Dass das Schone vergeht, dass das Vollkommene stirbt." 

Schiller 

(Lo, the gods all are weeping, are weeping the goddesses also. 
That the beautiful passes, that the perfected must die.) 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
I 

COLD 

A BITTER day, with icy breath, and chill, — 
Low in the sky the bright sun blankly stares ; 
To leave the cottage roof the smoke scarce dares ; 

And chained to silence is the frozen rill. 

Benumbing quiet reigns supreme, and still 
The oak its mighty arms to heaven bares, 
Mute with the anguish of unanswered prayers, 

And like a pall, the cold shrouds vale and hill. 

Thou too, poor heart, ice-bound in sorrow's bands, 
Art dumb with all the anguish of thy pain ; 
This numbing cold descendeth from God's hands, 

A mantle to enfold thee with thy dead. 
And when the stony-hearted day has fled, 
With night the healing tears shall fall like rain. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 
II 

SUBMISSION 

Not in defiance grim or tearful wail 

I raise my voice ; nor vex with questions vain 
The Wisdom that ordains the heavy strain 

Of loss and grief. I would not pierce the vail 

That shrouds His ways, or could my prayers prevail 
To win her back to her loved home again, 
I would not dare to pray, lest in her pain 

Of losing heaven, all happiness should fail. 

But oh, I miss her, long to see her face. 
My earthly love, transplanted to the skies ; 
I long once more to feel her soft embrace. 

To feel the tender pressure of her hand. 
My heart is dumb, and cannot understand. 
And still I look for her, with weary eyes. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QJJ I E T 
III 

WELCOME 

With home-returning steps, my anxious heart 
Longs ardently to see my dear one's face, 
To read her starry eyes, and fondly trace 

Each subtle sign of change j with loving art 

To bridge the time that we have been apart. 
To hold her closely in a long embrace. 
And in her soft caressing hand to place 

Some true-love token, from a foreign mart. 

Alas, no earthly token reaches her ! 

I open wide my arms, she cannot come. 
Perchance she knows the tumult and the stir 

Of my great grief; for she is gone before 

To make the skies seem dear, and when once more 
She welcomes me, I too shall be at home. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

IV 
SELF-FORGETFULNESS 

Oh, that I once could cast away this load 

Of selfish grief! could check each rising tear, 
Crush back each sigh, and quell each coward fear j 

Then could my soul run the celestial road 

Which leads mc onward to the blest abode 
Of that bright spirit who to mc is dear, 
The same, yet changed, from what she was when 
here. 

For on her now new glory is bestowed. 

For if I love her, then I should be glad 
And in her joy rejoice, nor selfish thought 
Find any place ; my tears but make her sad, 

And show some great and sudden change in me. 
Who shared each joy, with truest sympathy. 
If she is blessed, my sorrow then is naught. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF QJJ I E T 

V 

RECURRENCE 

Upborne by Aspiration and by Hope, 

Some ease I find, from all my heavy grief. 
Some rays of comfort come to my relief, 

And in the darkness I no longer grope. 

It is as if a door of heaven did ope, 

And unto me streamed out its blessed light. 
That comforted and cheered my longing sight, 

As I reposed on Beulah's mountain slope. 

And then, my grief comes surging back again, 
And all is dark around, and far above. 
I want her here, her loss is bitter pain, 

And while the burning tears my sad eyes drench, 
I know once more that there is naught can 

quench 
Immortal sorrow but immortal love. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

VI 
LOVE AND SORROW 

Sorrow and Love, those twins of heavenly birth, 
Move hand in hand, upborne on noiseless wing, 
And unto all their precious gifts they bring. 

Love pours his forth, surpassing mortal worth. 

All things that gladden, and make bright the earth : 
Pure thought, high aims, and inspiration's might. 
And to these nobler blessings adds delight. 

And lovely flowers of joy, and youthful mirth. 

Then follows sorrow, with her upward gaze. 

And treads the paths where only Love was guide. 
And lives again, through all the by-gone days. 

Recalls each hour, but with a subtle change. 
With added grace of meaning, new and strange. 
Till all the happy past is glorified. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^UIET 

VII 
VISION 

Oh that some holy prophet, as of old, 

Would ask the Lord for me that I might see ! 
For when one looked around so fearfully, 

Elisha prayed, and then he saw ! Behold 

The mountain full of chariots of gold, 
And fiery steeds of heavenly cavalry 
Arrayed to fight for Israel gloriously, — 

A mighty host, whose numbers were untold. 

E'en here while living in the flesh there come 
Some blessed rays to satisfy Faith's sight ; 
Some radiance from the everlasting home 

Streams down to earth, from out the open door. 
Along the path of those gone on before. 
From that pure world where God Himself gives 
light. 



A SCALLOP SHELL OF Q^U I E T 

VIII 
LIFE 

Great God, Thou perfect fount of Love and Light, 
Thou Whom it is eternal life to know, 
In Whom we only live, as we do grow, 

Shine on my darkness, and illume my night. 

Omnipotent, put forth Thy wondrous might. 
And make the strong tides of Thy spirit flow 
And course through mine till everything below 

Is vanished and I rise to heavenly height. 

For that which we call death, is but a door. 
Through which the spirit passes, unto Thee. 
How blest, then, is that life which evermore 

Dwells in Thy light, forever drawing near 
To Thine Infinity, without a fear 
To walk with Thee, through all eternity ! 



CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS 
U . S . A 



DEC 2Q 










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